The Miko in the road
by Danny Fenton's Girl
Summary: Inuyasha wakes up one night with an inkling. What is it? (Set in England, London)


**The Miko in the road**

It was a dark and stormy night. An unnatural haze lingered over England. In his bed, Inuyasha shivered. For a summer night, the air was cold and the sky was black. It was almost as if something evil lurked out there in the shadows.

Inuyasha rolled over, clutching his pillow, and tried to fall back asleep. But a worry nagged in the back of his mind. Something was not right. No matter how he tried, some ghostly force prevented him from sleeping. It made him uneasy. With a sigh, he rolled out of bed, pulled on his Robe of the fire rat, and poured himself a cup of water from the pitcher on his nightstand. Quietly, he left his room.

The halls were silent as he walked in the dark. He did not know where he was going, or why, but his body seemed to move on its own accord. He was being drawn by an unseen power. Past his father's bedroom, past the dining hall, past the bedroom, and out onto the terrace. With the moon hidden behind thick clouds, it was nearly impossible to see in the inky black night. But something lying on the path to Inuyasha's right made him gasp in shock. A body!

'Fuck!' Inuyasha shouted. He leapt over the terrace railing and onto the ground below, running toward the fallen form as fast as he could. Tree branches scratched at his skin and pulled at his clothes, but he paid them no mind. Heart pounding, he fell to his knees on the pathway and placed a gentle hand on the figure's chest, searching for a pulse, a heart beat…anything.

Now that he was closer, he could see that this was a young Miko of England, a Priestess by the looks of him, who appeared to be no more than 888 years old. But he was in dire need of help. His clothes were torn and bloody, and his hair was matted with blood. He needed the attention of a healer, immediately. Without a second thought, Inuyasha picked up the wounded Priestess and, cradling him in his arms, carried him inside to seek the help that was so desperately needed.

*****

'His situation is severe,' Inu-Taisho said in a worried voice. 'Whether or not he will live until morning is beyond my sight. My team of healers will do the best they can, but...' his voice trailed off.

Inuyasha could sense his fear. There was a good chance the young Miko might die. 'Is there anything I can do to help?' he asked.

Inu-Taisho sadly shook his head. 'Nothing the healers are not already trying. But it might help if you just sat with him. He will need to see a friendly face when he wakes up from this ordeal, and you are the closest thing he has right now.'

'I understand,' said Inuyasha. 'And I will stay with him for as long as it takes. I will not let him die.'

With that, Inuyasha turned and hurried to the room where the wounded Priestess was being housed. He was surrounded by healers, all of whom wore the same concerned expression. They had washed his body and dressed his wounds with healing salve, but still the Miko showed no signs of improvement. His breathing was shallow, and his pulse was weak. One of the healers turned to Inuyasha with a defeated sigh.

'It will be an uphill battle,' she said. 'We have done all we can at this time. Now, we can only wait and see if she wakes.'

Inuyasha nodded resolutely. 'I will stay with her through the night and keep watch as she sleeps.'

One by one, the healers left the bedside, the last one closing the door behind her. In the flickering candle light, Inuyasha dipped a square of cloth in the bowl of warm water left by the healers, and gently used it to stroke the injured Miko's lips. Then, taking up the Priestess's limp hand, he settled into his bedside chair and prepared to wait through the remainder of the long, cold night.

*****

'Where... where am I?'

Inuyasha jerked awake with a start when he heard the words being spoken. He stared down at his patient, an immense wave of relief coursing through his body. The Miko was alive! And from the looks of things, she was on her way to making a full recovery.

'You are in England,' Inuyasha told him. 'I found you last night, lying unconscious and nearly dead on a path coming from the forest. I carried you inside, and my father's healers tended to your wounds. Please, tell me your name and how you came to be here.'

'My name is Kagome,' said the Miko. 'I come from England. I was on an errand from my father, to deliver an important message to Lord Tessa in London. But last night... All I remember is that I was riding through the forest when suddenly I was attacked by a group of Hanyou. At least 4 surrounded me. I tried to escape, but there were so many, and I had only my Miko Energy for protection. And that is the last thing I recall. I do not know how I came to be here, or why I am not dead.'

Inuyasha smiled at him. 'The stars must shine favourably on you. To live through such an ordeal... that is more than mere luck.' It was more than luck, too, that Kagome had wound up in England and Inuyasha had found her. Now that they two were together, it felt almost like fate had lent a hand. Kagome was meant to be here, and Inuyasha was meant to have found her. Why, Inuyasha did not know. But it felt so certain.

It also did not hurt that Kagome was one of the most beautiful individuals Inuyasha had ever seen. Her sleek black hair contrasted with large, baby blue eyes set in a lovely face. And her sculpted body, half-hidden by the bed linens, was a further attraction. Inuyasha could hardly suppress his desire to run his hands over that soft hair and perfect body. But he kept his feelings under control. Kagome had just barely survived a nearly fatal encounter. Now was not the time for romance.

*****

Within three days, Kagome had improved enough to leave her bed. Inu-Taisho gave her a new set of clothes, and he was able to wander the corridors and gardens by herself. But the one thing that troubled him was Inuyasha's absence. Since the morning when she'd first awoken in England, she had not seen Inuyasha at all. It was as if her rescuer had simply disappeared. She had asked Inu-Taisho where his son could be, but Inu-Taisho had no answer. Inuyasha was gone without a trace.

Kagome desired to speak with Inuyasha again, and properly thank him for saving her life. But she also just wanted to see the handsome Half Demon once more. She could not explain it, but he felt a deep connection to Inuyasha, either forged by the lifesaving bond or some other power. She knew that Inuyasha was someone special. Someone she had to see again.

It wasn't until the sixth day after Kagome had recovered that Inuyasha returned to England. He rode up the same path where Kagome had been found, dragging a net filled with the heads of Hanyou behind him. All 4 of them.

'Here are your Hanyou!' he called to Kagome. 'I found them hiding out in a cave not far from here.'

Kagome stared in surprise, eyes going wide. 'You killed... all of them by yourself?'

'I cannot let such dangerous creatures roam free in our lands,' Inuyasha replied. 'And I did it for you. They nearly killed you. I do not want anything like that to happen again.'

Kagome could feel her heart pounding as Inuyasha spoke. Inuyasha killed those Hanyou... for her. Before he could stop herself, she leapt at Inuyasha and threw her arms around his neck, kissing the brave Half Demon on the arm.

Inuyasha laughed in surprise, but did not pull away. 'What was that for?'

'Just a thank you,' Kagome said. She smiled, but when she saw the suddenly serious look in Inuyasha's eyes, the smile faded. 'What is wrong?' he asked, worried.

'Kagome,' said Inuyasha, 'I have to confess something to you. That first morning you were here... I thought you were so beautiful. I wanted to kiss you then, but I did not know how you would react.

Kagome gasped in shock. 'Kiss... me?'

'I told myself I must not, because of the terrible ordeal you had just suffered. It was not the right time. But these past few days while I was gone, I could think only of you the entire time. And now...'

'Inuyasha...' Kagome sighed his name. 'I thought about you too. All the time, while you were gone. I was worried I would never see you again.'

Inuyasha lifted his hand to gently stroke Kagome on the cheek. 'I am sorry I ran off like that. I should have said something to you.'

Taking a deep breath, Kagome said, 'Inuyasha, there is something I have been considering over the past several days. I think we were meant to find each other. What happened to me... it was no accident of fate. I was meant to come here. You were meant to rescue me.'

A bright smile broke across Inuyasha's face as soon as Kagome had spoken. 'You know,' he said, 'I had been thinking the same thing! That night when I found you I had been worried an unable to think. Some strange power led me out to the terrace, and that was when I saw you.'

Kagome took Inuyasha's hand. 'So you think... we are meant to be together?'

'I have no doubt of it.' Slowly, Inuyasha leaned in and kissed Kagome softly on the lips. 'I love you,' he whispered.

'I love you too, Inuyasha,' Kagome whispered in return.

**THE END!**

Woo! Finally finished, I hope you enjoy my random little one-shot. It came to me in a dream and yeah, I just had to write it! Hope you enjoy!


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